Apparatus for casting metals



April 18, 1933. HARRls 1,903,897

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS Filed Aug. 9, 1950 4 Sl IeetS-Sheet l /N VE N TOR f/en Harris I ATTORNEY-I April 18, 1933. H. HARRIS APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS 3 Filed Aug. 9, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet; 2

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' m i/z m? Herzl Harris April 18, 1933. H. HARRIS 1,903,897

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS Filed Aug. 9, 1950 4 sheets-sheet s April 18, 1933. H. HARRIS I APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .E/VTOR HTTOR/Viy Patented Apr. 18, 1933 i 1,903,897

UNITED STATES PATENT osr ca HENRY HARRIS, 01 LONDON, ENGLAND APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS Application filed August 9, 1980, Serial No. 474,188, and in Great Britain August 87, 1988.

This invention relates to apparatus for ried along by said surfaces towards the solid casting metals. zone.

The usual rocess of rolling metals and In order to maintam a predetermined alloys from billet or ingot form requires reheight or head of metal or alloy in the 5 peated passes through heavy and costly rollconvergent space between the travelling suring machinery involving the ex enditure of faces 1n the preferred embodiment of appamuch power, time and labour. oreover in ratus for carrying out the lnvention namely the case of certain metals and alloys such for 1n the convergent space between s aced parinstance as zinc and the alloys of lead and allel drums, this space isconverte into a reantimony the process is further complicated ceiving trough or hopper by means of flat end 60 by the necessity of giving the metal or alloy plates adapted to bear accurately against the suitable heat treatment between the various fiat ends of the drums, the sa1d plates being stages f lli pressed into position by spring pressure.

The chief object of the present invention The h d of metal or alloy in the trough is to avoid the above mentioned disadv'anopper 1s malntalned at the required tages and to enable finished articles such as g y a l manner, Such as b thin sheets or tubes to be obtained from metp g Overflow Well f metal a als or alloys of comparatively low melting PP 5 excess of reqmlements? point in a simple manner direct from the space 111 the trough pp y be molten m occupied solely by the metal or alloy fed The conce tion of feeding molten metal 9 a 1t y be occupled P P y y a P to a space f brmed between travelling sur- 5 a For exPmple the of faces such asbetween spaced rotatable drums fl g W9 metals 1n l y Sandand of Providing means to control the WICh condition, the add1t1onal metal may perature of such surfaces and in some cases b fed P? the Onfice exposed to the to also control the temperature of a core or Jacent sohdltymg metal. so that the two former in order to solidify and simultaneous- 2 23 3:32 3gi tgi zg fggfgzg o ida 0 tif ii lioii if fil t h tfli fi iviii tiifii tien of the metal alloy. the apparatus n so 3 ception is relatively simple there are congg z g gg g 1f g s i m siderable difiiculties in operating industrially. I u or m ucmg The present invention employs temper und rg to d aiid rel;diy ie i ilaz e iifii i ture controled surfaces i g fi will now described the same-more fully with 35 :fi s g sllc s reference to the accompanying drawings in e sur aces 0 W0 r0 9. a e rums space apart on parallel axes and is characterized Figure 1 is a perspective View of a pair assessesziszsss zi sss of drums and to in accordance with the invention. 40 such a helght that there are in effect three Fi r 2 is a perspective view of a pair zones namely P {molten zone where of the drums and supply piping for the moltthe metal or alloy 1s arrlving, (2) a bottom en t l ll or solid zone where the metal 01 alloy has Figure 3 is a sectional elevation in illusbecome solid and has n c pres d d tration of means for controlling the rate of 45 moulded at the ga and is inprocess of leavdelivery of the molten material to the drums. mg the same, an (3) an intermediate or Figures 4 and 5 are part sectional elevaplastic zone where the metal or alloy is in a tions and part perspective views of two state of incipient solidification and has defurther embodiments of means for controlveloped on the travelling surfaces two adling the supply of molten metal or alloy to herent plastic cakes in process of being cara pair of drums.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional rspective view of the delivery portion 0 the arran ement shown in Figures 4 and 5.

FE re 7 is an enlarged detail view of a particular form of side plate hereinafter described for closing up the ends of the receiving space between the drums, the latter being shown in dot and pick lines to indicate their relation to the plate.

Referrin first more particularly to Fig ure 1, it wi 1 be seen thattwo drums 1 and 2 are arranged on parallel hor zontal axes spaced apart at a distance which leaves a narrow gap between them at the line of nearest approach. The convergent space 3 be-= tween the upper halves of the drums is formed into a molten metal container or hopper by providin end plates 4 bearing agamst the ends of t e drums. As shown in Figure 1 the end plate 4 is embodied in a form of weir by which the surface of the molten material may be maintained at a predetermined level. For this purpose the top edge of the plate 4 is shown located at a lower level than a second plate or casing 5 having an outlet 6 so that excess molten material will flow over the top edge of the plate and pass out through the outlet 6.

The drums while rotating in the direction of the arrows are maintained at the requisite temperature by any suitable means such as by water sprayed onto their interior surface through perforated piping 7 carried by a radialpipe 8 in communication with a supply pipe 9 arranged axially within each drum shaft. The pi e S may be adapted to be angularly adjusts le around the axis of I the drum.

The water may be discharged from the interior of each drum by a circular discharge rim 10 beneath which is a funnel 11 for receiving the water.

The molten metal or alloy is delivered as suitable temperature to the space 3 by any convenient meanssuch as a pipe or trough; in order however to operate with strict regard to the rate of supply in relation to the rate of delivery of the moulded solid product, supply means may be provided to deliver the metal or alloy in a uniform manner along the space 3. For example as shown in Figure 2, the delivery pipe 12 may extend horizontally along the space 3 and be uniformly perforated and connected at its ends to a sup 1y pipe 13 situated midway between the en s.

In the arrangement'according to Figure 3 the delivery pipe 12 is connected at its ends to two feed control tanks 14, 14, which receive the molten metal by way of the supply pipe 13 from a reservoir 15. In the metal in each tank 14 is submerged a valve16 controlled by a float 17 so that a predetermined head of the molten metal is maintained in each tank,

thereby ensurin a uniform rate of issue of the metal from t e delivery pipe 12.

In the modified arrangements shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the molten metal is allowed to issue from a slit 18 in a delivery box, the exact width of the slit being determined by the gasket orspacing strip 20 (Fig. 6) inserted between two main parts 19 9' of the box. Alternative]. the gasket may extend entirel around t e abutting edges of the parts 1 19, and be perforate along that part which lies between the lowermost edr e.

In or er to reserve the requisite liquidity of the metal t e box l9, 19, may be eater nally heated as by a row of gets issuing from a pipe 21 extending along the underside of the box I art 19.

The heat of t re burnt gases from the gas jets may be used to heat the metal and for this pur ose a jacket or housing 22 may be arran e around the delivery box 19, 19' and exten along the pipe 13, around an automatic feed control tank 23, the loo 24:, and the reservoir 15. The hot air and gases rising from the gas {lets of the pipe 231 are conducted by the jac'et or housing 22 over the pipe 13, around the tank 23 and thence around the reservoir 15 escaping by way of the exit pipe 25.

The feed control tank 23 of Figure 5 contains a submerged valve and float operating automatically similarly to those in the tanks 14 of Figure 3. The control of the tank 23 in Figure 4 however is by means of an overfiow pipe 26 adjustable in height by hand re latmg means 27.

eference will now be made to Figure 7. It will be appreciated that as the molten metal between the drums approaches the solid zone or zone of minimum cross sectional area which lies inthe horizontal plane common to the axes of the drums it has reached a semi-plastic state and is being squeezed as it progresses. It therefore tends in part to retreat upwardly out of the pressure zone into the intermediate zone; such retreating action can take place freely at oints intermediate the ends of the drums ut at and near these ends the upward retreating eflect of the semi-plastic massundergoing pressure is confined to one side or direction onl At these ends therefore the tendency wil be for the upwardly retreating mass to retreat in greater bulk than at intermediate points. It is to counteract such tendency that I provide the wedge shaped projection 28 on the end plates to pro ect into the inter-drum spaces at the ends of the drums as shown in Figure 7. It will be understood that as the degree of retreating action fluctuates slightly, the projections 28 cause the semi-plastic metal to be pushed inwardly and be moulded at the ends with a bevelled formation during a rising tendency and that during a subsequently falling tendency a cavity will remain near the projections which cavity during the next rising tendency will serve to absorb the rising surplus metal.

The moulding surfaces so far considered with reference to the drawing? have been plain drum surfaces. Clearly owever they may be grooved, ribbed or patterned.

What I claim is 1. Apparatus for casting metals or alloys direct from the molten state comprising two rotary drums spaced apart on parallel axes to present at their line of approach an outlet space for metal or alloy, means for regu lating the temperature of the said rotary drums, end plates bearing against the end faces of said drums for converting the converging space above the outlet into a receiving trough, adownwardly pointing wedgeshaped projection on the internal face of each end plate, means for supplying molten metal or alloy to said trough and means for maintaining a-determined depth of metal or alloy in said trough.

2. Apparatus for casting metals or alloys of low melting point such as lead direct from the molten state comprising axially parallel drums oonvergently rotating and forming between them a convergent space havin horizontal outlet of predetermined size, plates bearing against the end faces of said drums to convert said space into a molten metal receiving trough, means for maintaining within said space and in riding contact with the drum surfaces a continuously renewed mass of said metal or alloy of constant volume, means for regulating the temperature of the drum surfaces at the riding1 zone to stratify the metal or alloy receive in molten state into three layers namely (1) a top molten layer where the metal or alloy is arriving, (2) a bottom solid layer where the metal or alloy has been compressed and moulded at the aforesaid outlet and is in process of leaving the same, and (3) an intermediate plastic layer where the metal or alloy is in a state of incipientsolidification and has developed on the travelling surfaces two adherent plastic cakes, means containing reserve molten metal or alloy, means conducting the metal or alloy from the container 'and delivering it in a distributed manner to the receivin trough, a gas burner for keeping the de very portion of the last mentioned means hot, and a continuous spaced casing extending over the conducting means and around the container for conducting the products of combustion thereover.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HENRY HARRIS. 

